Pan and scan definition

Formatted to fit within proportions of a 1.33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, with sides of the original widescreen image (especially 2.35:1 aspect ratio) cropped off.

Paul disdained pan and scan DVD releases, always holding out for the widescreen special editions.

The method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images, especially 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratio, so that they can be shown within the proportions of a 1.33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, by cropping off sides of the original widescreen image, as opposed to letterboxing.

Alicia hated the person who had invented pan and scan, since the heightened panning effect aggravated her nausea when watching action movies.
A movie recording employing this technology.

In the discount bin by the door sat a pile of pan and scans, mostly comedies, that no one would touch.

To adjust widescreen film images so that they can be shown with standard television aspect ratios by cropping the original image, i.e. using pan and scan methods.
To crop out (a character or object) when performing the pan and scan process, resulting in the deletion of a character or object.

On the fullscreen version of Star Wars Episode II, only Anakin and Obi-Wan appear in the scene because Padmé was panned and scanned out.